🍂Pumpkin Spice Makes Everything Nice🍊
I bet I was the last person on the planet who never tasted Pumpkin 🎃 Butter. Probably because I really don’t care for apple 🍎 butter, so anything that compares itself is a no-go for me. Seriously, if it’s called butter, I’m thinking, IT BETTER HAVE SOME BUTTER IN IT! Turns out, that’s completely untrue for me anymore. Now that I’ve made this 🥊knock-out-punch of a delicious Pumpkin Pecan Butter. If you haven’t tried it, it’s something like spreading pumpkin pie on toast (or whatever you put it on).
So here’s how it happened. My sister was out having a good time with her “besties”. Apparently, they served this at a restaurant and she ❤️loved it. Which is very interesting because you can’t get her to even think about eating a piece of pumpkin pie 🥧 . I will have to revisit that with her over Thanksgiving 🦃. Anyway, I get a text, “Sister, would you make this, please” When she starts with “sister”, I know she’s serious.
Look, I made a completely homemade Croquembouche for one of her milestone birthdays. The request started with “sister”. It was 100% from scratch, a mile high tower of delicious cream puffs, enveloped with the signature caramel threads surrounding the entire pastry. This of course, predates any social media, so there is absolutely no evidence of it’s existence, other than word of mouth 👄 and pure legend.
Don’t let me scare you. This Pumpkin Pecan Butter is super easy and WOW! What a great host/hostess gift for the holidays too. Here’s how I made it!
Pumpkin Pecan Butter
Line a baking sheet with parchment or plastic and roast 1 cup of whole pecans at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. Just until starting to brown and they smell divine. Set aside to cool a bit. Next, add them to the bowl of your food processor and process until they become a puree, like a nut butter.
Into a medium heavy bottom sauce pan add 2 cups of pumpkin puree (or butternut squash puree, which is what I used and you cannot tell the difference), the processed nut butter, the zest of 1 large orange and the juice of the orange as well, at least 1/2 cup orange juice. Add the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Add 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed. For the spices add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon cloves and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix well and heat on medium low. Keep the mixture simmering for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. If it starts to get dry, add a tablespoon or so of orange juice. As the Pumpkin Pecan Butter cooks, the mixture will darken and get richer.
Remove from heat and store in covered container for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Pecan Butter
Notes
Pecan Pumpkin Butter is great on toast, english muffins and scones. Try it with ice cream, on french toast or pancakes too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole pecans
- zest of 1 orange, plus 1/2 cup orange juice
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or plastic and roast 1 cup of whole pecans at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. Just until starting to brown and they smell divine. Set aside to cool a bit. Next, add them to the bowl of your food processor and process until they become a puree, like a nut butter.
- Into a medium heavy bottom sauce pan add 2 cups of pumpkin puree (or butternut squash puree), the processed nut butter, the zest of 1 large orange and the juice of the orange as well, at least 1/2 cup orange juice. Add the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Add 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed. For the spices add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon cloves and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix well and heat on medium low. Keep the mixture simmering for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. If it starts to get dry, add a tablespoon or so of orange juice.
- Remove from heat and store in covered container for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy!
- Adapted by Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
